On Epistle 15

I had to pause for #15 on account I now have two dueling summaries: one from the Scott-Moncrieff summary, of "XIII"; one from Bcheiry Table Two, p. 63.

Scott-Moncrieff as usual complains about the episcopal prose, but overall sees the Seleucian setting as because the bishop fled Nineveh in the unrest of the Persian War. Bcheiry by contrast sets this AD 632/3 so much later, except that now the bishop left the place he was staying in Seleucia, telling the patriarch that he sent a letter of explanation regarding his leaving.

Kokhe is indeed Seleucia, as far as the Church is concerned; although it turns out, a different site than the Greeks remembered. I didn't actually know; so, that's nice to know. That doesn't actually... matter, for our purpose, since both sites are far down river from this bishop's see. And indeed from his metropolitan's see - Mar Gabriel of Kirkuk is nowhere addressed.

Bcheiry doesn't explain why he's down there in the first place and, frankly, I am not seeing how the excuse concerns the monastery(?) he's temporarily staying in, especially since now he is now grovelling before the pope himself. Isho'yahb doesn't explain much either - as Scott-Moncrieff noted, Ishoyahb is here to (figuratively) lick some (literal) boot. I cannot help but notice that the war isn't mentioned - "necessity", only, is mentioned. One might think that a (literally) eschatic conflict would be a decent excuse. Plague - if #25 refers to such - is also possible [UPDATE 2/13: but in the start of #12 he will blame himself]. It turns out we will get #36 (to a peer, not to their pope) which implies a political enemy within Nineveh.

It is possible the bishop fled twice, once during the war (or plague) and again during the internal politicking - but doubtful. The bishop never alludes to being on his third chance, and the catholicos wouldn't seem the one to grant it. UPDATE 2/13: Babay the Great died after the election of Catholicos, which could only happen after the War. After this, Isho'yahb-still-bishop was able to shoot #12 up his old mountain. PsSebeos #38 has Heraclius fight Khusro near Nineveh; after the battle Si'rt #87 (tr. Hoyland, Theophilus, 77) reports that the Romans plundered some fire-temples in the area - which implies that army was under orders to leave the local Christians well alone. So, no, there is no war in Mosul for #15.

As to that other letter which #15 says explains everything, I don't know how well #25 fits that, but #25 does work well as the last cri de coeur before the bishop hopped on a skiff outta there.

FIEY 4/15/23: E. XV is discussed ch. IV, p. 326 in French.